The Master Builder
(Note: This parable was passed on to me by my friend Larry. I don’t know who he heard it from, but thought it was a wonderful truth and wanted to share it here.)
Now hear the parable of the Master Builder. A wise Master Builder decided after years and years of building houses for others, to build a house for Himself. He had a secret plan and design that He had prepared years before for that day when it was time to build His house.
He had selected and prepared and stockpiled the necessary materials that would be needed to build His house. He had for many years, selected stones which He polished and marked for certain places within the construction. And He had chosen and set aside all manner of wood that He stored and seasoned so it would be ready when He began construction
His plans were in His mind and were drawn and carried by Him in preparation for that day. He allowed some to know of His desire and plan to build Himself a house, but the day of beginning and the meaning of the plans was known only to Him.
But some of His followers and workers began to become impatient. They said to themselves, “Will He not begin soon?”. Others said, “What if we are no longer able to be a part of this task, surely He will begin while we are still strong and able to help”. Still others began to say, “It’s time, it’s time; let us begin and build this house for Him”. “Will He not be pleased that we have done this for Him?”
But they did not have His plans. They had heard of houses He had built in the past and they said, “Surely it will be like the early houses He has built”. So they began to rummage through the stockpile of materials and selected choice pieces in their eyes and collected the necessary stone and lumber they thought would be needed to build a magnificent house to please the Master.
But He was not pleased with their efforts. In fact, He had to demolish what they had already built in order to recover as many of the materials He had originally selected. In some cases it took additional polishing of the stones and seasoning and straightening of the wood to make them acceptable to Him. Only He knew where each piece was supposed to fit and only He knew when all the necessary pieces would be collected to allow the house to be started and completed.
What will happen to those who sought to build a house for the Master instead of waiting on Him? Will they be allowed to participate in the final building project? Will their impulsiveness be overlooked in favor of their zeal? Only the Master knows.
One thing I do know. The house He is building already exists within the eternal realm where He is. Every piece required and it’s location is known to Him. Anything man builds will have to be torn down by Him before the final construction can commence.